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Daniel Wahlen is a freelance filmmaker who loves to travel in search of the world's best stories. This is his blog, where he expresses ideas, shares his creative process, and invites further discussion about film.

Blackmagic URSA 4K: Camera Review

I just wrapped a 2 week shoot with Digital Paradigm where I was the Director of Photography on a promotional series for the Skin Cancer and Cosmetic Dermatology Center. As with every project I take on, the choice of camera is very important. After weighing the options and constraining factors, I decided that the Blackmagic URSA 4K was the best camera for our budget.

Having used the original Blackmagic Cinema Camera two years prior, I was excited to see how the company had improved their offerings.

REC709 with no other adjustments

The major persuading factors for me selecting the URSA were:

  • Wide dynamic range

Blackmagic claims 12 stops for the URSA 4K (15 stops on their new 4.6K sensor) and I was pleased with the results. I was able to use the natural light from a large window as background/ambient fill for my interview setup without blowing it out.

REC709 with no other adjustments

  • RAW capabilities

Having the RAW image data is a life saver when it comes to color temperature, which can be exceedingly difficult to manage in corporate office environments where less than flattering fluorescent light is the norm. Having the additional room in post to preserve skin tones was a big plus.

  • Filmic image

I acknowledge that this point is very subjective. To me, the images the URSA produced felt very organic—as opposed to the sterile, harshly digital feel of some other cameras. I was especially pleased with the way that the URSA handled skin tones and mixed color temperatures.

  • Slowmotion

The URSA does up to 80fps, which was plenty for my desired subtle use. If you're looking for stop-in-your-tracks slowmotion, you'll need to look at other camera solutions.

 

  • 4K resolution (the new 4.6K sensor was not yet available)

Because of my limited lens options and that the final product would be in 1080p, having the additional resolution for cropping possibilities was an added benefit.

  • Ergonomics

This was a major concern with Blackmagic's earlier cameras. With the URSA, the company seems to have put a lot of thought into ergonomics and usability, especially right out of the box.

  • Price

Because of the money saved on the camera choice, I was able to invest in more lighting and a better lens package, as well as adding the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera as a B Cam.

Design

After using the camera for two weeks, I was really able to appreciate how nicely each aspect of The URSA is designed and laid out.

The first thing you'll notice are the 3 fairly large screens. The main display (coming in at 10.1") has been mockingly referred to as "a tacked on iPad." However, I think this is a situation where you can't knock it till you try it. I loved being able to view my shots at that size and in full 1080p. It also felt much more immersive while operating than a typical 5" display.

Unfortunately, the screen alone is not bright enough for harsh, direct sunlit conditions and you will need to plan accordingly.

The two smaller (touchscreen) displays can cycle through showing the settings menu, a recording info display, or a monitor feed. This can eliminate the need for an additional monitor, and having one on the dumb side of the camera allows for an AC to make quick adjustments, determine focus, or even allow the boom op to quickly check the shot framing.

The layout of the recording info display is one of my favorite aspects of the URSA. Cleanly laid out is a large timecode that is easily read at a glance (for example, by an interviewer gauging how much time has passed), a large histogram, audio levels, recording format information (roll, color temperature, fps, shutter angle, compression rate, resolution), and my favorite: two bar graphs depicting each CFast card and the clips they contain, with remaining space at the end.

It's a lot of info for one screen and yet it tells you exactly what you need to know with just a glance. Simple, smart design. 

The top of the camera is full of screw holes allowing for several further accessories. I gladly adjusted the top handle to optimal position.

All of the ports are easily accessible and don't get in the way when operating the camera or with several cables hooked up. The ease with which I connected a feed for video village or AC power seems so simple it should be a given, but when compared with other cameras (I'm looking at you RED), the URSA shines in this department.

When we had to use on-board audio (more on that later), the two large VU meters made monitoring levels a breeze and the physical adjustment knobs were another nice surprise.

Image Quality

As I mentioned earlier, skin tone reproduction, good color science, and high dynamic range were important for me and I think the URSA delivered great results. Image quality can be subjective, but the natural, vibrant colors and clean skin tones really made me happy. 

I won't delve in to the camera's tech specs, but the global shutter and native ISO 400 are two aspects that should be addressed. The global shutter is lovely—no jellocam, movements felt much more fluid, etc. The native ISO 400 took a little getting used to, as many cameras today are native ISO 800. Just meter your scene and make sure you're using enough light and you'll be fine. Even if you have to push the image a bit as a result, I found the digital noise or "grain" structure from the URSA to be quite pleasing—no bright harsh pixels or busy noise here.

The images below are straight out of camera with the standard REC709 LUT applied—no other adjustments.

This is a frame grab from our interview setup. To light the shot I used two KinoFlo Diva Lites in tandem as the key light, a scrimmed 150W ARRI Fresnel as fill, a 350W ARRI Fresnel for backlight, and the window served as a background light.

We received free skin checks as part of the crew :)

Sound

At one point during the shoot, we were about to record an interview only to realize that our Zoom H6 Audio Recorder was out with the B-unit. Taking a plunge into the unknown, we ran audio through the URSA's built in inputs. The full size XLR ports were great (no need for an adapter as with many other cameras) and as I mentioned earlier, the large VU meters are both pretty and functional. While the URSA preamps weren't as strong as the H6's, (I would say they were about 3/4 as loud), they were surprisingly noise-free. So, if you're looking to go single system sound, the URSA is a good option but I still prefer using an external recorder.

Other Gear

The Carl Zeiss CZ.2 28-80mm T2.9 was my primary lens for the shoot. When working on commercial projects I've found that having a zoom lens allows me to adapt to the often run-and-gun style required by these environments.

We got one of the new Anton Bauer batteries (along with several older ones), and we all strongly disliked the new design. It's bulkier, has an odd shape, and had a smaller capacity than the old ones.

I was pleasantly surprised by the Redrock Micro matte box and it's swing away design. I also appreciated that the filter trays accommodated multiple filter sizes.

For lighting I used two KinoFlo Diva Lites, and an ARRI field kit containing a 650W, 350W, and 150W fresnel light.

For camera support we used a Manfrotto tripod and a Dana Dolly as well as the ocassional handheld shot.

Things to be aware of before you decide

  • Weight

This camera is heavy. I mean surprisingly heavy. Body only, it weighs 16.5 pounds, but once we added the lens and everything else the camera ended up weighing just over 30 pounds.

  • CFast Cards and Formatting Issues

As wonderfully fast and spacious as CFast cards are, they aren't exactly cheap yet. We used two Lexar Professional 256GB 3400x cards which are nearly $700 each. Thankfully, the industry seems to be embracing them, so we should be seeing some price drops soon. Also, not all CFast cards will work with the URSA, so be sure to check Blackmagic's list of approved cards beforehand.

Also, please be aware of serious issues when formatting your card using HFS+. You should format using exFAT if you want to avoid data loss. Thankfully, I discovered this early on in tests but I wish Blackmagic were more forthcoming about it. Better yet, they should remove the HFS+ formatting option entirely until they've resolved the issue.

  • Data management

Shooting RAW comes at a cost. It takes up a lot of space! Thankfully, the URSA provides a slight compression option (3:1 ratio) but that's better than no compression at all—which is what you're stuck with if you choose an older Blackmagic camera. 

  • Post-production workflow

The URSA is manufactured by Blackmagic Design, and they have generously bundled it with the full version of their renowned DaVinci Resolve software. This allows for a wonderful color correction workflow. However, be advised that the 3:1 RAW compression setting is proprietary, meaning that the files are only readable using DaVinci Resolve. In order to bring the footage in to your NLE of choice, you need to first create proxies. This can take several hours, so be sure to anticipate the additional time. If you choose to shoot in Uncompressed RAW or ProRes HQ (as we did with our B Cam) then those files are ready to go for the edit.

Final Thoughts

The Blackmagic URSA is a great choice for many projects and is a major improvement over Blackmagic's earlier offerings.

To briefly recap, here's a quick pro and con list:

Pros:

  • Beautiful image
  • Global shutter
  • 4K RAW or ProRes HQ
  • Decent single system sound option
  • Extremely quiet and well cooled

Cons:

  • Weight (16.5 lb body only)
  • LCD not bright enough for harsh sunlight
  • RAW data is storage-intensive
  • CFast cards are expensive (but prices are falling)

 

 

 

I hope you found this review helpful. If you have any other questions please leave a comment below!

A big thank you to Niki Penola for the beautiful on-set photography.

Rigoletto - Vandals

Who is this?

It was around New Years time, and I was working as a DP on a gig in Orlando, Florida with my friend Niki Penola. Our friendship initially began when we were in the same lighting class (I always envied her photography skills) and grew when we discovered a wonderfully similar taste in music. On this particular day we were driving to set when she played a song. It took only a few seconds before I asked, “Who is this? They’re really good!” She informed me that they were called Rigoletto, a local band from Chattanooga where we were both attending school.

A few days later my friend Ben Chase, who directed Missing Faces (the first short film I produced) called me up. We had continued working together since then, making films and hip hop music videos—but there was one thing we always wanted to do and hadn’t yet: a rock music video.

"Hey man, I’ve got a project I want you to shoot for me; It’s a music video for a band called Rigoletto.” I had just gone from randomly hearing one of their songs to prepping to shoot their latest music video.

Meeting the band

The first time I heard the song I played it on repeat—getting lost in the dreamy aura and explosive chorus. This was going to be big. I started brainstorming shots and eagerly worked with Ben on unifying our approach; eventually we condensed our approach down to two words: elegant and surreal.

The first thing I noticed when I met the bandmates was just how well they work as a unit.  Each member brought something unique to the discussion in their approach and consideration of different aspects of the video and what they were going for.

Good collaboration is invaluable. The band came up with the objects smashing and models concept, Ben refined it, and I proposed the slo-mo performance to add to the overall dream-like feel of the video.

The shoot

Two aspects of the production were very new to me. First, we had the band play the song at 2x speed so we shot all the performance stuff at a 48fps. When the footage was brought down into a 24fps timeline, we were able to achieve the slow-mo effect with the performance being in sync. I was very happy with how well this worked—many people haven’t noticed it on a first-time watch.

The other thing was an attempt at water-reflected lighting. Looking back, it is a bit more subtle than I would have liked, and so in the future I may try a larger basin or perhaps some gels instead.

I also discovered how noisy RED slo-mo footage can be. Many of the shots we took were at 300fps, causing the camera to punch in to 2K. This increased the noise in the image; thankfully most of this was able to be smoothed over using the FilmConvert plugin.

Any good project has a good crew behind it and I couldn't have been happier to work with such wonderful and talented people.

Also, the connection with Niki has come full circle now because she was the behind-the-scenes photographer on set that day and kindly provided the photos in this blog post. Be sure to check out her website!

Release

I grew up reading Alternative Press magazine, and so when I found out that they would be featuring the premiere of the music video on their website, I was very excited. The reception has been good so far, with an especially glowing write-up featured at Nooga.com.

Check out the video below and let me know what you think!

​


Location Scouting

Once a script gets to a point where all major variables (locations, characters, important props) have been determined, then the pre-production phase may begin. (Of course this is assuming funding is in place...) Location scouting is one of my favorite aspects of the filmmaking process because I am able to explore and shape pieces of the real world to create the imaginary space that previously had existed solely in my mind.

Sometimes, you are able to find a location that works just as is. Most of the time, however, it takes a little modification for the location to match what the scene requires. When I imagined the intense scene in the bedroom, I knew I wanted it to be a very high contrast setting and to have a strong warm/cool dynamic.

The picture below is from a location scout for Mr. Williams' bedroom. To see how this window was used in the final film, check out my earlier blogpost on The Writing Process.

The large window in the bedroom that we selected fit what we needed perfectly. With a little rearranging of the room and furnishing it with character-appropriate items, we had Mr. Williams' bedroom.

For the classroom location we wanted to utilize the beautiful natural window light that lined a whole wall of the room. (Are you noticing a pattern here? I love the natural light feel.) To better achieve this, we rotated the orientation of the desks by 90 degrees, thus utilizing the windows as a side keylight. You can get a sneak peek of the classroom in this screenshot from the film.

One of the great things about film is you can create geography that doesn't really exist. In The Hideout, there is a sequence that starts here with Sam (played by Brogan Hall) on the playground, and then we follow him as he heads back into the classroom. The sequence uses three separate locations instead of the one contiguous one because the geography wasn't well suited for what we wanted to do.

One of my favorite locations in the film was the treehouse. The film is named for it after all...I was drawn to it's multi-storied structure and the beautiful setting in the woods. The rope wall on the porch was an especially nice touch.

However, there wasn't a very good way to climb up onto the porch. I had always envisioned a rope ladder, and after looking at options online we found that it was vastly more cost effective to build our own, so that's what we did.

The trapdoor opening to the top part of the treehouse is one of my favorite features of the location. By now you should be familiar with my enthusiasm for windows, and so in order to fully appreciate the natural light we removed the mesh screens from each window and raised the wooden flaps. Producer Matthew Disbro, pictured below, was instrumental in helping me achieve my vision and was a huge help throughout the entire process.

Each location is special to the film and in their own way became characters themselves. I'm excited for you all to see the finished film! Be sure to check out my other blog posts if you haven't already, and I will be back soon with another behind-the-scenes post.

Also, check out The Hideout Official Website and like us on Facebook for the latest news and updates. We will be having some film festival announcements later this summer so stay tuned!

The Writing Process

I'm a very visual person, so the first thing I do when approaching a new story to write is to close my eyes and try to envision the film—its textures, emotions, moments.

The key for me when imagining the story is to seek images that will convey the emotion I am looking for. The shot below is one of the first things I visualized while working on The Hideout. Holly, played by Christa Beth Campbell, is at her desk, feeling isolated and alone. Through the use of a 360º shutter angle, we were able to achieve this compelling shot.

By having a clear picture in my mind, I found I was able to write better. I began imagining other key points in the story. Here is how I dreamed that the scene would take place...I wanted it to be intimate yet private, foreboding yet hauntingly beautiful.

After going through the process of envisioning the key images or "set pieces" I was able to work on the screenplay's structure.

No matter how strong a concept is, if it doesn't continue to have a string of set ups and payoffs that fall like dominoes as the story progresses, then the film won't work. That can be challenging to pull off because what you're needing to do is keep one-upping yourself.

"There is no such thing as good writing, only good rewriting."

Just when you think you've got your script to how you like it—dialogue flowing, plot points snowballing forward—you awaken the next day to see that your masterpiece hasn't aged very well. That can be a big bummer. It can also be a fantastic opportunity to hone your story from something good into something great.

I've found that a person who will give you an honest critique of your work is absolutely invaluable. My photographer friend Tanya Musgrave is also an excellent writer. I would bounce ideas off of her and she had a magical way of providing fresh insight.

There is no greater feeling than the rush of figuring out the final piece of the story puzzle or suddenly seeing the story from a whole new perspective. Two heads are better than one, and I found Tanya's contributions to be a large part of why The Hideout's script is successful.

I had an epiphany just a month away from shooting and ended up rewriting the entire third act of the film, unifying elements and bringing the events toward the central location of the treehouse, which lent further meaning to the film's title.

The writing process is not bound to the screenplay. Through each phase of making the film, the story is rewritten as it is interpreted through the process.

Before we began production, we got our cast together and had them read the script for the first time. It was exciting and insightful—some lines didn't sound right, and the talented actors provided valuable insight into their characters that further strengthened the script.

Once we finish filming, the film has taken on a life of its own. It is no longer just words on paper.

This calls for some tough choices to be made in the edit room—I ended up cutting two of my favorite scenes, including the one shown here.

Despite Brogan giving a great performance and the scene being beautifully shot, I felt that it ultimately didn't work in the greater context of the film and was cut as a result.

Writing can be a lot of fun and a lot of hard work. What I enjoy most about screenwriting is how fluid the process is, and when positive collaboration occurs, it can be magical. I'm looking forward to sharing the finished film with all of you!

The Director's Statement

As we enter the film festival circuit for The Hideout, one of the first things many require is a press kit, including posters, story summaries, and cast and crew portraits. One of these requirements is a "director's statement," which encapsulates the director's vision for the film. I had never written one before, so this was a learning experience for me.

After reading some impeccable director's statements from Nicolas Winding Refn, Ridley Scott, and Derek Cianfrance, I felt inspired enough to write my own for The Hideout. You can read it below:

The original concept for the The Hideout was to make a movie about two kids ditching school to play in the woods. However, as I was developing the story I became aware of some shocking news: my grandfather, my favorite relative, the man I couldn’t wait to visit every summer—well, he was a child molester. Not only that, but I found out that he had abused one of my very close childhood friends. Reeling from the news, I found writing to be the only way to process my feelings. It was therapeutic.

As I threw myself into the project I was astounded as more and more friends would approach me, opening up that they had somehow been personally affected by child sex abuse. I gathered stories, moments, and painful memories from these wonderful people and poured it into the script, resulting in a film that rang as emotionally true as I could.

I think The Hideout tells an important story because it is not a matter of "if" you know someone who has been affected by this issue; the odds are that you definitely DO know someone. A family member. A classmate. A brother or sister.

The film that came out of this experience is something that I hope is able to resonate deeply with survivors, their families, and compassionate hearts everywhere.

In addition, prior to filming, Matthew Disbro, producer of The Hideout, interviewed me on why I chose to tell this story. I found expressing myself and clarifying these motivations enabled me to have a clearer vision for the project. You can watch the interview at the bottom.

Now that I've explored the inspiration behind The Hideout, my next post will delve into the screenwriting process and possibly give you a look into the script itself. Thanks for reading!